Chapter 2 Basic Beliefs of a Buddhist Practitioner-2

The next step is to praise the Tathagata. Before countless Buddhas, I have been worshiping Buddhas, and I must also praise Buddhas while worshiping Buddhas. "Each with all the sounds of the ocean", the languages ​​of the various groups of spirits in the six realms are different, and each species, country, and even the local language in the country is different. All living beings in the six realms use their own language to praise the Buddha's merits and virtues.Now reciting the Zhunti mantra is also praising the Buddha, praising the great merit of the Zhunti Buddha mother, "spreading endless wonderful words", and fully admiring all the benefits of the Buddha.Singing and chanting like you are also praising the majesty and holiness of the Tathagata. "To the end of all kalpas in the future", with all the beautiful words and voices, praise with joy and joy forever! "Praise Buddha's profound merits and virtues", everyone must first understand these points, otherwise, just sit here and recite the Zhunti mantra repeatedly all day long. Isn't it funny to think about it?If you understand this, the three karmas of body, speech, and mind will be in this state at any time, and you will enter the great concentration of Samantabhadra Tathagata.Look at this sutra, isn't it an incredible practice?But you don’t understand the scriptures, and you play with the scriptures as ordinary words. You read them, but you don’t really understand them, but they guide you step by step to practice, and penetrate into the deep Dharma of the Buddhas.Have you fulfilled the three karmas of body, speech and mind in accordance with the law?Now I have said a little bit for you to taste. Isn’t this putting all the Buddha’s magic treasures in front of your eyes?What are you still looking for?Do you have to be mysterious to give you a secret method?Then I like to be very happy, stupid!That is to tempt you, the real secret is here, nothing obvious but not secret!Can it be done?Can you visualize it?I have said it today, and I must do it. From tomorrow, I will worship and praise the Buddha at the beginning of Samantabhadra's vows.

You also often chant and read the scriptures. After explaining this, do you feel that although you have recited the scriptures before, it seems that you have never read them?After reading the scriptures, often the scriptures are the scriptures, I am me, so it can be said that there is no benefit, all dharmas are the Dharma, and the scriptures of the Sutras have been passed on to you, and they have been explained to you.I read your diary, and some students have already understood a little bit. Yesterday I talked about worshiping the Buddha, explaining the method of visualizing the worshiping Buddha consciously.After paying homage to the Buddha, we praise the Buddha. For example, if we chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha", we are praising the Buddha. Taking refuge in Infinite Light Buddha and Infinite Life Buddha, it is like reciting the mantra of Zhunti. Respect Amitabha Buddha and all Buddhas of the ten directions and three times.In this way, returning to the Pure Land, all sentient beings will chant the Buddha's name with one voice, and this artistic conception is required.This artistic conception is a kind of imagination, but it can be decided by oneself. If you can’t control the artistic conception, it is a demonic realm. Even if the Buddha decides for you, strictly speaking, it is also a demonic realm. It is very important to be clear.

Now let’s talk about making offerings. While offering respect to the Buddha, we also make offerings.If you study Buddhism, you must learn the rules of worshiping Buddha and making offerings. If you do not follow the rules, you will not be able to achieve success. You must learn these rules.First, everyone recite the following four verses: (Students chant in the same way) Chanting is called praise in literature, and it is sometimes called admiration in Buddhist scriptures. A sigh is not a sigh, and it is called a sigh when it is drawn out.Sighing is not a cry, but the so-called "manyong" in literature, like singing in a long-drawn opera, and the long-drawn sound represents the sincerity of emotion.For example, when reciting these four lines of gatha, it symbolizes the sublimation of the reverence of one's mind and consciousness to the extreme.It should be noted that this paragraph is connected with the previous respect and praise. In the visualization of consciousness, when the thought moves like this, there will be Buddhas everywhere in the ten directions and three times, all over the sky and all over the Dharma world. I am the one who worships, praises, and makes offerings.

Buddhist offerings generally talk about ten offerings: incense, flowers, clothes, jewelry, wiping, painting, burning incense, building buildings, playing music, and folding hands. "Invite the most wonderful flower garland", here refers to the most beautiful and best "flower garland", the most precious wonderful flower in the world, flowers of various colors are woven into strings and rings to make offerings to the Buddha.Like a wreath, it can be worn on the body or in the hair. "Jiyue smear incense and umbrella cover", Jiyue, the word "乐" reads yue, Jiyue is dancing, and if you dance well, you can make offerings to the Buddha. Like a few days ago, someone asked me to dance, but I couldn't dance, so I was forced to do nothing. The only way is to have a "Heart Sutra" dance to express the connotation of the "Heart Sutra" with dance.Playing, singing and dancing are all gimmicks, and boxing is also a gimmick. If you punch well, you can also make offerings.Music is music, and all kinds of music are available, such as some Western music, which can make people peaceful and peaceful.In addition, incense is the spices that are rubbed on the body, such as pearl ointment and pearl powder, which can also be offered as offerings, as well as moisturizing oils that are applied to maintain the skin in winter, and vitamins that are usually eaten. You can use them before taking them. Offer to Buddha first.Sandalwood perfume is also a kind of incense.Umbrella covers, wind and rain, and sun-blocking utensils are all.In ancient China, emperors, high officials, etc. used umbrellas when they went out, and so did India, and "covers" include many, many, such as camping tents.

"These are the most adorned objects", these are the best—the most solemn objects in the world can be offered to the Buddha, and even houses can be offered to the Buddha. "I come here by making offerings to the Tathagata", these precious things of mine are offered by all the Buddhas. This is not something you can just say in your mouth, but you can get it when you talk about it. You must be sincere and sincere in your thoughts. Standing in front of the Buddha or meditating, you don't have to pay attention to the form, my lord. Before meditating on contemplation, first practice Samantabhadra's ten vows on this thought, and then let go of all predestined relationships and purify one thought, so there will be no failure.Well, say it again, and then chant the following four verses:

(Students chant in the same way) This verse is simpler.In addition to the ten offerings, there are also four offerings, namely food, clothing, decoction, and bedding.Now let’s talk about the offerings of clothing and incense.You can make an offering to the Buddha before wearing new clothes, how long will it take?When the heart arrives, it arrives, and the time is uncertain.Last incense - powdery incense.Burning incense - Chinese people like to use burning incense, sandalwood is also used to burn.Lamps - oil lamps, all kinds of lamps.Candle - candle.All of the above things are offered to the Buddha one by one.When you sing "One by one is like a wonderful gathering", the way of singing "one by one" is not singing the original tone, and you can't sing the original tone. For example, in Beijing opera, the king's big one sings the sound of "wai". If you use "big" The sound can't be sung.Singing Buddhist scriptures, when you encounter "one one" and sing the original sound "one", it is not easy to pronounce, and the voice of the throat will seem to be dumb. If you change the pronunciation of "everything", please sing it to see if you can sing it well More comfortable?In fact, one-one means everything. If you sing "one-one" to the second "one", it is difficult to sing "one" again. If you sing hard, you will make your throat go wrong. You should understand this truth.To practice the Bodhisattva way, you must learn the five wisdoms, and you must understand everything, big and small.If a person who writes poems and lyrics, he has to choose another phonology here, he will never use the word "one".Because poems and songs are meant to be catchy and recited, and this meets the conditions of a good poem.Like Su Dongpo's poems, sometimes there are some problems in terms of phonology. Our great poet is sometimes self-willed, and he insists on using it if he can't sing it well, so his poems have to be sung with drums. Because drums are sung, it does not matter if they are rough. However, Gefu cannot beat drums like this and sing aggressively.Buddhist chanting is even more inappropriate, because most of them are serene and soft man chant, so you have to change the words.

Let's talk about "Miaogao Gathering", Miaogao is Mount Sumeru, which is used to represent the center of the world in Buddhism, and it is translated into Chinese as Miaogao Mountain.For example, in the mandala offered by the Buddha, the four rings represent the four continents.Usually when we make offerings to the Buddha, don’t think that with such a small amount of rice, we need to make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions and three times. No, it is a symbol. Mt. Myoko is so big.It’s not that you bought two bananas to offer to the Buddha, and then you want to finish the offering quickly and take them home for your sons and grandchildren to eat. This is not called offering to the Buddha.Therefore, when making offerings, the mind should reach the state of ecstasy, and the mind should be as boundless as the void, and use all of me to offer all the Tathagatas in the ten directions and three times.Come again:

(Students chant in the same way) Then, you may ask, isn’t the visualization as mentioned above all fantasy?Is practice just an illusion?Yes, spiritual practice is fantasy, and if you succeed in fantasy cultivation, you will have supernatural powers, because supernatural powers are also fantasy.So at this time, you need to understand that delusions are not wrong, and delusions can also be right. "I overcome the mind with the vastness", the nature of the mind is inherently vast, and when it is understood, this fantasy is not a fantasy, but a merit.If the teachings are unreasonable, if you don't understand the Tao, if you cultivate the best, it is also the way of the devil.When the teachings are understood, all paths are correct. "I solve my heart with the great victory", "I firmly believe in all the Buddhas of the three times".Why is my visualization a fact, not just an ideal or fantasy?Because we are now practicing the visualization of Samantabhadra's vows, relying on the power of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva to make it a reality, and Samantabhadra (now)

is omnipresent. "Universally offering offerings to Tathagatas", this point should also be clarified. Is the mental state of this visualization the one-image state? Is it a quality environment?is it goodis it bad?It’s like observing the point of view, first look at the light of the oil lamp, and use it to visualize, this is a state of quality, but is it a bad thing?No, it's neither bad nor great.As you speak now, every thought is a single image and a quality environment, just like what is the porridge you ate this morning? (Classmates answer: sweet potato porridge) Is it delicious? (Students answer: delicious)

Speaking from the present side, there are images on the side of the artistic conception. This is a qualitative environment. They are not bad. If you succeed in cultivation, falsehood is true, and truth is falsehood. Even if you are false, you will not be able to cultivate, and you will not be empty.So practice all methods, there is, everything is there, when we visualize and make offerings, everything is real.Practicing Samantabhadra's vows is the first step in learning Buddhism. Like me, when I started to learn Buddhism, the first step was Samantabhadra's vows and Zhunti method. It is nothing unusual to follow this way to prove Bodhi.Now I will tell you these two great Dharma-doors, which include all methods of Sutra and Secret. I have never taught Secrets very much.

Next, after you have worshiped, praised, and made offerings, you are required to repent.The following four verses, please sing! (Students chant in the same way) When it comes to repentance, it must be thorough.Like now, when you practice Zhunti method, you put all the three karmas of body, speech and mind, and turn them all around, which is true repentance. The repentant cuts off past mistakes, and repents so that he will not make mistakes in the future. No more mistakes, no more mistakes, Yan Hui's only mistake is regret.In addition, the Sixth Patriarch explained repentance best, and everyone should invite the "Platform Sutra" to study carefully in their spare time.After confession is: (Students chant in the same way) Buddhist practitioners should also rejoice in the merits and virtues at the same time, not only to rejoice in the merits and virtues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but also in the merits and virtues of all sentient beings in the ten directions.In different societies in this world, there are many people who do not study Buddhism, practice Taoism, or believe in religion, but they are Bodhisattvas, and what they do is right, so we should rejoice in it.Don't think that it is right for you to become a monk, chant Buddha and worship Bodhisattvas, learn Zen and practice secret secrets. If you think that you are right, then what you are studying is the way of magic.In modern society, many sentient beings are reincarnated from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. All the good deeds of all sentient beings are the good deeds of the Buddha. We should rejoice in the good deeds and merits of all sentient beings in the ten directions and three times.To benefit others, to solve troubles and troubles for others, this is to practice the Bodhisattva way, and everyone should rejoice. In addition, "Two Vehicles" refers to the sound and hearing, and the sense of fate. "Learning" refers to those who have not yet attained fruition and are still learning, while "non-learned" refers to Arhats who have attained fruition.These and other Hinayana realms, I also rejoice and admire a little bit of merit and good deeds!So some people only care about themselves and don’t care about others. Although they have shortcomings, as long as they practice truly, I will rejoice, and all Tathagatas and Bodhisattvas will also rejoice in all merits and virtues, large and small.So, what is merit?Those who contribute to things and achieve results are called merit, and those who accumulate results are called virtue. Gong is merit, and virtue is virtue.For example, if you cleanse a polluted place, this is also merit.Reactive work is not called virtue.If you ask people to contribute a little money, you will have immeasurable merit. Those who give money have merit. Does the person you receive have merit?If you really want to cultivate meritorious deeds, you must empty the three rounds of body, not for yourself.I rejoice with all the merits and virtues, including the effort of raising one's hand.But you cannot rejoice when someone invites you to do bad things together.Like taking care of everyone's safety, paying attention to everyone's small problems, this is also the merit of rejoicing, everyone should learn to do it, don't say that it is not my job, everyone cleans the door for himself, and doesn't care about it.Next: (Students chant in the same way)